Success in the Frugal Journey

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying.."I will try again tomorrow."
~Mary Anne Radmacher

I�ve been looking forward to this day and dreading this day.

I look forward to today because I realize that I have finally feel that I know how to ride my figurative bike without training wheels. When I first started Frugal for Life, back in 2004, there

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7 Steps to Forming Financial Habits

What are your habits?

Do you eat from the vending machine each day, go to the same place for lunch with your co-workers, and fall into bed at the same time each night?

Maybe you've made a habit out of spending on impulse, avoiding a budget, and staying up as late as possible.

Someone famously said:
�Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch

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My 4 Rules to Food Safety

Nothing freaks me out more than seeing meat or poultry thawing on the counter. I'm always asking how long an item has been out and no matter the answer, I usually end up tossing it in the fridge to keep the bacteria at bay.
The USDA states:
Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
Even though the

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Planning Ahead: Free Children's Activities

Now that I'm an aunt for the first time, children's clothes, activities and behaviors now catch my attention as I try to understand the mystery of growing up from the outside now. I'm regularly asking my sister what activities my 7mos. old nephew is doing. It is too early to figure out his interests yet, but it is fun to wonder if he will be a DIY builder, a weird scientist concoction mixer or if

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Random Thoughts: Gyms, Costco and Can Ethics

Since starting the new job I've been trying to find out every little way I can save money by using discounts through the company I work with. I usually work within the telecommunication industry and with that I receive whatever item they sell for free or at a greatly reduced price. Additionally, they have connections with other companies that provide discounts for computers, car rentals, hotels

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Online Learning: The Neverending Study

Monday I put together a very basic understanding of bonds and what I had learned from them. While I was reading I found that there was so much more that I didn't understand and could have added to my learning.

Having written about frugal living for the past 6 years, I have found that the personal finance side of frugality is the part that is harder to learn. To me, it is easier to find ways to

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Frugal Web: Forehead Tattoos and Library Songs

Previously I've daydreamed about winning the lottery. But recently a British survey (pdf) gathered people's opinion on what they would do for a million pounds (~$1.6 mill. USD). The options were not typical.
Be Photographed naked for a national newspaper (31%)
Have no human contact for a year (18%)
Have sex with someone you find physically "repulsive"(17%)
Give up a kidney (15%)
Not see sunlight

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Codename: Bond Basics

SchoolhouseRock - Tyrannosaurus Debt
TOUR GUIDE: And this is the U.S. Treasury. It sells Treasury Bonds, bills, and notes, and savings bonds to finance the debt. The U.S. government promises to pay the owner interest plus the value of each bond at a future date.Up to a few days ago, if you asked me what a bond was, I would tell you it was a way to make some interest on your money through the

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5 Obstacles to Financial Fitness

You want to be financially fit. You know all about buying generic and what needs to be done to start a budget. You know what is involved in starting your retirement fund and how much to sock away. You can even picture a future with fewer stresses and possibly an early retirement.

So why aren't you on the road to that frugal success you read about?
Simply put, there are life issues that block

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6 Ways to Prepare for Medical Bills

A 2007 survey of low- and middle-income consumers with credit card debt found the following: Nearly one-third (29 percent) reported that medical expenses contributed to their current level of credit card debt.

I would think that with the economy in the dumps since then, that percentage hasn't gone down very much. As a matter of fact, in a 2008 study: More than one-half (52%)of indebted low- and

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I HAVE FANTASTIC CREDIT SCORES -- BUT

Just an FYI out there for those who may not know that, even though your credit score can be in the high �700s� and/or even in the low �800s�, it often times does not help you in acquiring a credit card, loan, or anything else you may wish to get on credit if you have very limited credit. My friend, unfortunately, found out that the hard way. DO NOT CLOSE DOWN your credit card accounts even if you

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Dreaming Of A Lottery Win

Just because I like to think and live frugally, doesn't mean I don't like to dream a little.

Every once and a while when I stumble across the amount of the lottery in my state, my mind drifts off to planning how I would spend the money if I got won it. Given I would have to be a VERY lucky person as I don't buy lottery tickets. I've always said to people that if I'm lucky enough to win the

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Pros and Cons of ReUsable Bags

I recently saw a UPI article about Lead Found in Some Reusable Bags that were offered from grocery and retail stores.

"The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) released new lab results showing that a number of major retailers� reusable shopping bags contained excessive levels of lead. Of the 44 organizations whose bags were tested, 16 are selling or distributing reusable bags containing

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the Princess TAG

Hi beauties, happy Saturday! Yes weekend! Finally! What are your plans this weekend? Well whatever you do I hope you have a wicked one! 

Today I am going to do a TAG post which I am really excited about because this is right up my alley, the Princess Tag. It is as you all probably know, an old tag but I thought I'd do it because it sounds fun, and I think it's quite interesting to know what people's luxury makeup items are. Don't you think?! Ok that's enough rambling that's get to it! 

I was actually inspired by the lovely and beautiful "FleurDeForce". I'll link her video's right  so you can check out her version if you like. In case you don't know, this tag is basically to share your all time favorite high-end makeup products in each category. And if you don't own a luxury item in certain category then you can talk about a product you are wanting to try and why you are attached to it. So shall we start?! 

PRIMER: Well this category is not in the original version but it's a Princess Tag so it would be "rude" not to include in it. Am I right?! Well this one I have to give it to my Guerlain Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer. It is so lush! It's a real "princess makeup item" in my opinion, agreed? It's smooth, it makes my face glow, it smells like a princess should do, and it costs me a fortune. Haha! Seriously it is gorgeous! 

FOUNDATION: This isn't going to come as a surprise to you, it's my beloved YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation. I have the shade in B30 and I can't get enough of it. It's smooth on application, easy to blend, smells lovely, lasts pretty well on me, it's just lush! Anyways I have the full deets here if you are interested in reading more of it. 

CONCEALER: It has to be my Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer SPF 10. Wow that's the longest name ever! For me the name said it all. It stays, doesn't crease, high coverage, it's flawless. I have the shade in 01 light. 

POWDER: Ohh let me think. I mean I have quite a few high-end powders, but I am gonna have to give it to my Guerlain Meteorites Pearls Illuminating Powder in 01 Teint Rose. It is fabulous. It sets my foundation, gives me a nice glow, smells gorgeous, and the most I love about this powder is that it is light as air! I can't feel a thing once I put it on. Seriously. It's perfect for summer, well all year round really. Love love!

(Don't mind the other container. I actually took out some of the shimmery pearls so that it is even more subtle on me. I don't like too much of a glowy face because I get quite oily sometimes but you don't have to if you have normal or dry skin. It looks beautiful as it is.)

BRONZER: Ok now this is hard. Which one should I mention? Emm... ... ... ... Ok CHANEL Soleil Tan de Chanel. It's just beautiful. I like the fact that it is subtle. It gives this nice bronzy colour without being too obvious. And you can use it as a bronzing base before your foundation to give an even more tanned look! If you want to know my other fav high-end bronzers then check out the blogpost . 

BLUSH: Ohh boy. Ok it's gonna be my Hourglass blushers. I have 2 shades and they are both gorgeous. Hourglass knows what they are doing when it comes to blushers. They got the formula right. It's matte but not too matte because of the ambient lighting powders in there. Good colour range and no paraben and all that nasty stuff. Here is the link for my Hourglass products Review if you fancy giving it a read. 

HIGHLIGHTER: I have to mention my Laura Geller Baked Highlighter in French Vanilla. It is so subtle, the colour is lovely, and it can be used as an under eye brightener. It's baked under Terracotta pan for 24 hours in Italy. It's just lovely. I have a blogpost on my favorite highlighters I'll link it  for you.

EYESHADOW: This is easy. It has to be my Urban Decay Smoked Palette. It's just the best eyeshadows for me hands down. I like all the colours in there and I use it pretty much everyday. It has all the colours I need for both everyday and smokey-eye looks. They are buttery soft and bloody pigmented. Can't go wrong with it! Pure love! 

EYELINER: All my eyeliners are drug store to be honest but the one I have tried is the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Perversion. I do like it. It does stay and very pigmented. I like the fact that it is soft so it doesn't tug my eye lids. I am not crazy crazy about it as all my drug store ones are just as good, but it's a pretty good one. I wanna try the Burberry eyeliners. I heard they are pretty amazing so if you guys have tried it then please let me know how they are. 

MASCARA: It has to be my Lancôme mascaras. I have tried quite a few and I like them all. Lancôme just has it when it comes to mascara. I am currently using the Hypnose one and I have also tried the Virtuose, Difinicils, and the Vibrating one but I can't remember the name of it. They are all amazing. 

LIP LINER: I don't use lip liners. 

LIPSTICK: This could take a while. I am a lipstick junkie as we all are. Let me think! Ok ok, I'm gonna have to give it to my DIOR Lipsticks. I mean DIOR is a total Princess Makeup Brand. I especially love the lipsticks. The formula is amaze balls, and there are so many colours you can choose from. I personally own 4 of them and I don't think I'll stop from there. My DIOR Lipstick obsession keeps growing. I'll link my "Lip Product Addict Tag" blogpost  so you can read all about it. 

LIP GLOSS: I don't use lip gloss as I just can't bear the tacky feeling. There are so many lipsticks are very glossy and non sticky quite frankly so I think I'll stick with my lipsticks. 

BROW PRODUCT: I'm gonna have to cheat a little here. I have 2 products and they are equally good. I can't decide which one so here it goes. MUFE Aqua Brow in 30 and Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium. Aqua Brow is really long lasting and good for filling in my brows, and Gimme Brow is great for setting my brows in place while giving a subtle tint. Good stuff. I'll link my Brow blogpost  so make sure to check it out for details if you haven't already! 

MISC (Candle, Bath Goodie, Tool etc): I gotta give it to my Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler in Gold. This is in my opinion a "Princess tool". I mean other cheaper eyelash curlers would probably work the same I suppose but it's nice to have a luxe curler. 

NAIL POLISH: Honestly I don't have any high-end nail polishes. One, because my drug store ones are just as good, and two, I am not a nail polish girl. I hardly wear colours on my nails but I do own a Nail Polish Remover From DIOR which in my opinion is a total princess product. It comes in this little glass bottle and only contains 50ml. It ain't cheap I gotta tell ya. It works really well though even with glitter nail vanishes. Apparently it hydrates and nourishes nails as well. It's like a treatment and remover in one. Sounds good! 

There we go. Those are my PRINCESS makeup items that I think are good quality and quite frankly just pretty to look at. Call me shallow but they just look so good on my vanity and also I am a total sucker for packaging. It's nice to give yourself a treat sometimes you know. So I say go get your luxury makeup product once a while. Life's too short for hesitating. Do what makes you happy that's what I always do!

Please let me know your high-end makeup products that make you feel and look like a princess. Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram as well as following my blog on Bloglovin' by clicking "FOLLOW ME ON BLOGLOVIN" button on the top of this post. Thank you for reading and see you all beauties next week. Bye! Muahh!

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Things to Re-Use You Had No Idea You Could

When I was growing up, my frugal-to-the-core mother was the master of �re-using.� Now, first, I must say that I love my mother more than anyone on earth and my respect for her knows no bounds. However, as a child, this whole concept of �Don�t throw that away! You can RE-use it!� was first annoying and then just �not cool.� Ironically, now a few years out of college and attempting to make ends

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Cleaning Up Your Financial House

Being laid off has it's advantages like more time with family, crossing off items on the to do list, no longer putting off that exercising because you are too tired. But one definite disadvantage to being laid off is that depression lurks around the corner to sneak up on you if you are diligent to keep watch.

I was doing really well keeping myself positive, working out and keeping myself busy

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5 Tips to Remember for Mattress Buying

"My ribs hurt!" "I feel better sleeping on the couch or recliner." "I hate getting into that bed." "I never get a decent sleep, I think the bed needs to be replaced." These are all comments that have been mentioned in my home, more and more often, and I think it's almost time to get a new mattress.

The foam mattress in question is going on it's 6th year and has acquired hills and valleys. A

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41 Things Living Frugally Has Taught Me

Anytime frugality is brought up in a conversation, eventually the talk turns to those who are extreme in their frugality. I know that there are some things that I do that are too extreme for my co-workers and some things they do that are beyond the pale for me.

But frugality isn't about shocking your friends and family. Frugality isn't an extreme sport where there are winners and losers. It is a

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Restoring A Credit Score With Positives

I've written multiple times about my own bankruptcy and having to deal with the aftermath of a ruined credit score. I have also had to learn ways to bring my credit score back up to a good level.

The classic way and most common suggestion is to make sure that you make all your payments on time and keep your debt ratio around 30-50% (or less) of the credit that is available to you. These two

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One Neuron Away From Riches

In a 13 page, study, researched by Xinying Cai, Soyoun Kim and Daeyeol Lee, they have come to the conclusion (at least in monkeys) that immediate gratification may be one firing neuron away and can determine if we are genetically spenders or savers.

"Two monkeys (H and J) were trained to perform an intertemporal choice task, in which they chose between two different amounts of juice that is

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10 Ways to Cut Impulse Grocery Shopping

The longer you stay in the grocery store the better chance you have of increasing your receipt total with impulse purchases.

My partner is amazed when I run to the store to pick up the groceries, how quickly I come back after leaving. For her it is an easy 60-90 minute shopping trip. I thought I would pass along a few ways I get in and out so quickly for those who are wanting to cutting down on

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Finding Money for Gifts in 2011

Holiday season 2010 was the best year for retailers in the last 4 years even though December was a poor sales record on it's own. (via) Why? Because people started their holiday buying early! Not that I like to see the Christmas season creep in on Halloween, but it's nice to hear that sales are helping people spread out the buying so that people like me can use a budget to buy gifts instead of

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Coupons: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Coupon Sherpa recently post the top 10 coupon stories of 2010 and I have a few things to say about this last year as well. The good, the bad and the ugly part of coupons.

1. Groupon goes viral -
I am one of those people who signed up and has bought a few things through them. I bought a good deal for a subscription to the newspaper (for the Sunday coupons) and I have been milking that

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